Tom Cowan’s Misinformation on the Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2

In this video, I respond to an attempted rebuttal by Tom Cowan to my article “Correcting Misinformation about SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing“.

In my article, I correct the false claim of Andrew Kaufman and Tom Cowan’s that you cannot sequence the whole genome of a virus without first isolating the virus. I point out that this is indeed possible using what’s called “metagenomic” sequencing.

Cowan responded to my article in a video, admitting that he didn’t read my article before attempting to rebut it. His central argument is that it isn’t possible to find a new virus using metagenomic sequencing.

So, in this video, I point out once again that this is in fact the chief utility of metagenomic sequencing. In essence, Cowan’s argument rests on simply denying the existence of this technology. I respond point-by-point to the arguments he uses to support that central premise, identifying his factual errors and logical fallacies, just as I had done in the article he didn’t read.